Native Americans in the Military

"…American Indians have proudly worn our nation’s uniform in every one of our conflicts…American Indians per capita—have had the highest percentage of their people in military service, exceeding every American ethnic group."

Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Former U.S. Senator, Col

Honoring Service

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can bestowed on an individual serving in the armed services of the United States. This award is generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States on behalf of Congress.

On March 3, 2008, Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War by President George W. Bush. Keeble was a U.S. Army National Guard of both WWII and the Korean War. Keeble had previously been awarded: The Distinguished Service Cross, The Silver Star, The Bronze Star for Valor, The Bronze Star for Merit, The Combat Infantry Badge, and two Purple Hearts.

Highlights of Service

Ira Hayes - Iwo Jima Flag Raiser

On Feb. 23, 1945 to signal the end of Japanese control, Ira Hayes and five other's raised the U. S. flag atop Mount Suribuchi on the island of Iwo Jima. Three of the six men were killed while raising the flag. This heroic act was photographed by Joe Rosenthal, and it transformed Ira Hayes' life forever. Hayes was a full blood Pima Indian and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Cpl. Henry Bake, Jr., and Pfc. George H. Kirk, Navajos serving in December 1943 with a Marine Corps signal unit, operate a portable radio set in a clearing that they have hacked in the dense jungle close behind the front lines. Photo courtesy of www.archives.gov.

The idea to use Navajo for secure communications came from Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary to the Navajos and one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Johnston, reared on the Navajo reservation, was a World War I veteran who knew of the military's search for a code that would withstand all attempts to decipher it. He also knew that Native American languages notably Choctaw had been used in World War I to encode messages.Read more.

Articles and Reports of Interest

Very little is known about the contributions of Native American women to the United States military. The Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation is attempting to fill this gap by encouraging Native American women veterans to register with the Memorial so that their stories may be recorded and preserved. They are also conducting research on the contributions of Native American women of earlier eras.

When the United States issued the call to arms in World Wars I and II, American Indians answered as warriors. Some men discovered that words—in their Native languages—would be their most valued weapons. Crackling over the airwaves and telephone lines, the code talkers' messages proved indecipherable to the enemy and helped the United States achieve victory in combat. Decades later, the U.S. government declassified the code talker programs, paving the way for the participants' long-overdue recognition.

Native Words, Native Warriors tells the remarkable story of Indian soldiers from more than a dozen tribes who used their Native languages in the service of the U.S. military. Developed with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, this inspiring exhibition was made possible in part thanks to the generous support of Elizabeth Hunter Solomon. Additional support has been provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee and the AMB Foundation.

A panel was held on the history of military service by Native Americans since the American Revolution, featuring American Indians who served in the armed forces during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. Mr.Emhoolah gave an opening prayer. Herman Viola gave a PowerPoint presentation based on his book Warriors in Uniform: The Legacy of American Indian Heroism. Slides were also shown during other presentations, some of which included drumming and singing. Chuck Boers presented the museum with a plaque of feathers he carried in the battle of Fallujah, Iraq. Jason Giles moderated. “Our Warrior Spirit: Native Americans in the U.S. Military” was held in the Rasmuson Theater of the National Museum of the American Indian. (2 Hours, 4 minutes)

DENIX – Privacy & Security

Public portions of DENIX are provided as a public service by the Department of Defense Environment, Safety and Occupational Health (ESOH) programs and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment (ASD (EI&E)). Publicly available information presented on DENIX is may be distributed or copied unless otherwise specified. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.

This website uses measurement and customization technology known as a "cookies." Cookies are used to remember a user's online interactions with a website or online application in order to conduct measurement and analysis of usage or to customize the user's experience. There are two kinds of cookies used on this website. A single-session cookie (Tier 1) is a line of text that is stored temporarily on a user's computer and deleted as soon as the browser is closed. A persistent or multi-session cookie (Tier 2) is saved to a file on a user's hard drive and is called up the next time that user visits a website. Use of these cookies does not involve the collection of a visitor's personally identifiable information (PII). The Department of Defense does not use the information associated with cookies to track individual user activity on the Internet outside Defense Department websites, nor does it share the data obtained through such technologies, without the user's explicit consent, with other departments or agencies. The Department of Defense does not keep a database of information obtained from the use of cookies. Cookies are enabled by default to optimize website functionality and customize user experience. Users can choose not to accept the use of these cookies by changing the settings on their local computer's web browser. The USA.gov website, http://www.usa.gov/optout_instructions.shtml, provides general instructions on how to opt out of cookies and other commonly used web measurement and customization technologies. Opting out of cookies still permits users to access comparable information and services; however, it may take longer to navigate or interact with the website if a user is required to fill out certain information repeatedly.

DENIX uses Tier 1 session cookies(tokens that remain active only until you close your browser) in order to make the site easier to use. You can choose not to accept cookies and still use the site, but may need to fill out the same information repeatedly. Refer to your browser help for instructions on how to disable cookies. Many DENIX pages use a third-party service called Google Analytics that uses Tier 2 cookies to track non-personally identifiable information about visitors to our site. You may decline Google's cookies by setting your browser preferences to disallow third-party cookies. If you choose to allow the cookies, Google will collect generic information about your visit (including your IP address) and store that information on their servers in the United States. Google's privacy policy is available at: http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html. DENIX uses the information compiled by Google Analytics to help us make our site more useful for you. We learn about the number of visitors to our site, which features/links that are most popular, and the types of technology our visitors use. For detailed information on the type of information collected from users please see http://www.google.com/analytics/features.html.

This government computer system uses software programs to create summary statistics, which are used for such purposes as assessing what information is of most and least interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying performance or problem areas.

For site security and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual public users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are used for no other purposes and are scheduled for regular destruction in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration guidelines.

If you have any questions or comments about the information presented here, please forward them to us using the DENIX Contact Us page.

Privacy Act Statement and Privacy Advisory

If you choose to provide us your personal information - such as filling out a Contact Us form - we only use that information to respond to your message or request. We only share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. We do not create individual profiles or give it to any private organizations and do not collect information for commercial marketing. While you must provide an e-mail address for us to be able to provide a response, we recommend that you NOT include any other personal information, such as your address or home phone number and especially not your Social Security number. The Social Security Administration offers additional guidance on sharing your Social Security number.

Users requesting a DENIX account are subject to additional conditions and bound by the requirements for accessing a government computing system for official business.

Principal Purpose: Information will be used to verify the identity of eligible users of DENIX.

Routine Uses: None.

Disclosure: Voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested information will result in denial of access to non-public areas of the system.

DOD External Link Disclaimer

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the
United States Department of Defense (DoD) of the linked Web sites, or the
information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized
activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR)
sites, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) does not exercise any
editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

DENIX - Contact Us

Privacy Advisory: The use of information provided is subject to the DENIX Privacy Policy. You may opt out of providing contact information in this form. If you do so, we will not be able to provide a response.